Majority of Pregnant Women Found to Be Severely Vitamin D Deficient

Pregnant women with the lowest levels of vitamin D are 1.5 times more likely to deliver early compared to those with the highest levels. A recent study suggests that expectant mothers in America may have dangerously low vitamin D levels.

Children born to vitamin D deficient mothers often are born with jaundice, rickets and weak bones. They also have a higher risk of allergies and autism. The researchers for this study said that some of the mothers have had babies taken away from them when the babies’ bones break and the hospital thinks it is due to abuse.

Researchers from the nonprofit group Grassroots Health are conducting a vitamin D prenatal intervention in South Carolina. Their initial studies have found that the majority of the women they tested had vitamin D blood levels between 10 and 20 ng/m, which is classified as dangerously deficient. The recommended levels are between 40 and 60 ng/mL.

The study will be presented at The Vitamin D Workshop in Orlando, Florida, at the end of March 2017.

Vitamin D can be found in milk, fortified cereals, fish, and eggs. Your body also processes vitamin D from the sun but it becomes harder for our bodies to process it as we age. A high quality vitamin D supplement is always a good option if you feel that you’re not getting enough through diet and sun.